FY2022 Annual Report

Memory Research Unit
Assistant Professor: Kazumasa Z. Tanaka

(From left to right, top) Miyu, Thato, Viviane, Amanda, Hiroto, Tomoka, Ai
(bottom) Yu-Ju, Lorena, Kaz

Abstract

The Memory Research Unit aims to understand how memories are stored and used in the brain. The hippocampus, together with its related structures, plays a unique role in memories of past events. Nevertheless, its specific contribution remains unclear. Our unit aims to reveal the mechanism of memory by using multidisciplinary approaches in rodents.

During FY2022, Memory Research Unit made substantial progress in our research activities, especially in the collaborative projects. These achievements were presented at domestic and international conferences as listed below and also resulted in two publications and a patent, in addition to individual achievements in their academic domain; Yu-Ju Lin passed the proposal defense and moved to a Ph.D. candidacy; Thato Mokhothu and Yu-Ju Lin received Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) fellowships (DC1 & DC2); Miyu Nambu, Yu-Ju Lin, and Josefine Reuschenbach published a review paper presenting a new perspective on heterogeneous memory traces (Nambu+, Lin+, Reuschenbach+, and Tanaka*, Current Opinions in Neurobiology 2022 (+: co-first authors, *: corresponding author)); and Viviane Saito and Hiroto Ashitomi contributed to a research article established a novel approach to induce an artificial hibernation-like state (Takahashi et al., Cell Rep Methods 2022). Furthermore, the first Memory Research Seminar was held at OIST. Our ongoing research is funded by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research B and Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas A.

記憶研究ユニットは、脳がどのように記憶を保存し、そして使うのかを理解しようとしています。中でも海馬は、その周辺領域とともに、過去の体験についての記憶に特別な役割を持っています。しかし、具体的にその役割が何なのかは未だ確かには分かっていません。私達の目標は、げっ歯類を使った分野横断的な研究アプローチを通して、記憶のメカニズムを明らかにすることです。

2022年度は、特に共同研究において大きな進展が見られました。これらの成果は、様々な国内学会および国際学会で発表され、2つの論文発表と特許に結びつきました。また、所属するユニットメンバーも様々な功績を残しています。例えば、Yu-Ju Linはproposal defense試験を突破して博士候補生になりました。Thato MokhothuとYu-Ju Linは日本学術振興会の特別研究員として採用されました（DC2およびDC1）。Miyu NambuとYu-Ju Lin, Josefine Reuschenbachの共著で総説論文を出版し、多様な記憶痕跡が果たす役割についての新たな見方を展開しました (Nambu+, Lin+, Reuschenbach+, and Tanaka*, Current Opinions in Neurobiology 2022 (+: co-first authors, *: corresponding author))。さらに、Viviane SaitoとHiroto Ashitomiが冬眠様状態を誘導する新手法開発の共同研究に大きく貢献し、論文を出版しました（Takahashi et al., Cell Rep Methods 2022）。さらに、OISTで初めての記憶研究セミナーが開催され、世界各地から参加した著名な研究者との活発なディスカッションが行われました。これらの研究は、日本学術振興会による科学研究助成事業による支援のもとで行われています（基盤B＆学変A）。

1. Staff

  • Damien Mercier, Staff Scientist (Feb. 2020-)
  • Hiroto Ashitomi, Technician (Mar. 2020-)
  • Keiko Nakamura, Research Unit Administrator
  • Viviane Saito, Postdoctoral Scholar (Jul. 2020-)
  • Ai Takahashi, Technician (Apr. 2022-)

2. Students

  • Lorena Andreoli, Ph.D. student
  • Thato Mokhothu, Ph.D. student
  • Tomoka Yoseyama, Research Intern
  • Miyu Nambu, Ph.D. student
  • Yu-Ju Lin, Ph.D. student
  • Josefine Reuschenbach, Ph.D. student (co-supervised with Izumi Fukunaga)
  • Reanna Norman, Research Intern
  • Yuma Kajihara, Ph.D. student (co-supervised with Kenji Doya)
  • Balashwethan Chockalingam, Ph.D. student (co-supervised with Tomoki Fukai)
  • Yuta Konno, Research Intern
  • Amanda Costa Ayres Salmeron, Research Intern

3. Collaborations

3.1 Inter-unit collaborations

  • Physiology underlying different spatial strategies (Wickens unit)
  • Hippocampal representation of social contingency (Froese unit)
  • Role of Serotonin neurons in the paraventricular thalamus (Doya unit)
  • Olfactory working memory (Fukunaga unit)
  • Characterization of humanized mice (Paabo unit)

3.2 Inter-institutional collaborations

  • Four collaboration projects are ongoing.

4. Publications

4.1 Journals

  1. “What does engram encode?: Heterogeneous memory engrams for different aspects of experience”
    Nambu MF+, Lin YJ+, Reuschenbach J+, Tanaka KZ* (+:co-first authors, *:corresponding author)
    Curr Opin Neurobiol. 2022 Aug;75:102568. doi: 10.1016/j.conb.2022.102568. Epub 2022 Jun 2.
  2. “Optogenetic induction of hibernation-like state with modified human Opsin4 in mice”
    Takahashi TM, Hirano A*, Kanda T, Saito VM, Ashitomi H, Tanaka KZ, Yokoshiki Y, Masuda K, Yanagisawa M, Vogt KE, Tokuda T, Sakurai T*
    Cell Rep Methods. 2022 Nov 14;2(11):100336. doi: 10.1016/j.crmeth.2022.100336. eCollection 2022 Nov 21.

4.2 Books and other one-time publications

Nothing to report

4.3 Oral and Poster Presentations

  1. “Dynamic Nature of Memory Representation” (talk)
    Tanaka KZ
    Brain science seminar series for early- and middle-stage investigators, May 10 2022
  2. “Dynamic Nature of Memory Engram” (talk)
    Tanaka KZ
    Neuroscience seminar series at Sussex University, May 30 2022
  3. “Physiological mechanisms for change in navigational strategy”
    Andreoli L, Tomonaga S, Wickens J, Tanaka KZ
    Seminar at Sorbonne Universite, Jun 21 2022
  4. “The effects of hibernation-like state on memory” (poster)
    Lin YJ, Takahashi A, Humbel B, Sakurai T, Tanaka KZ
    Japan Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting (Neuro2022), Jun 30-Jul 3 2022
  5. “Investigation of the effects of environmental enrichment in mice when the cage size is the same as control” (poster)
    Konno Y, Saito VM, Tanaka KZ
    Japan Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting (Neuro2022), Jun 30-Jul 3 2022
  6. “Dynamics and function of the circadian oscillator during hibernation-like state in mice” (talk)
    Hirano A, Takahashi T, Nambu MF, Tanaka KZ, Sakurai T
    Japan Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting (Neuro2022), Jun 30-Jul 3 2022
  7. “Substantial suppression in the progression of the medial temporal lobe epilepsy after induction of the hibernation-like state” (talk)
    Mokhothu TM, Lin YJ, Nambu MF, Ohyama K, Hirano A, Sakurai T, Tanaka KZ
    Japan Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting (Neuro2022), Jun 30-Jul 3 2022
  8. “Career Strategies for Trainees Minoritized in Academia” (talk)
    Tanaka KZ
    Japan Neuroscience Society Annual Meeting (Neuro2022), Jun 30-Jul 3 2022
  9. “The more the merrier. Is more than one trial necessary for accurate navigational strategy assessment in a dual-solution plus maze?” (poster)
    Andreoli L, Tomonaga S, Wickens J, Tanaka KZ
    FENS Forum 2022, International Neuroscience Conference, Jul 10 2022
  10. “Utilization of a hibernation-like state in temporal lobe epilepsy” (talk)
    Tanaka KZ, Mokhothu TM, Lin YJ, Nambu MF
    Invention Evaluation Committee talk, Aug 24 2022
  11. “Dynamic Nature of Memory Representation and the Hippocampal Network” (talk)
    Tanaka KZ
    Learning and Memory Meeting at NIPS (Okazaki), Sep 7 2022
  12. “The effects of hibernation-like state on memory” (talk)
    Lin YJ, Takahashi A, Humbel B, Sakurai T, Tanaka KZ
    Learning and Memory Meeting at NIPS (Okazaki), Sep 7 2022
  13. “Arousal-related increase of stress hormone is not regulated by the hippocampus” (talk)
    Nambu MF, Tanaka KZ
    Learning and Memory Meeting at NIPS (Okazaki), Sep 7 2022
  14. “Dynamic Nature of Memory Representation and the Hippocampal Network” (talk)
    Tanaka KZ
    Hibernation Biology Seminar Series, Sep 20 2022
  15. “Dynamic Nature of Memory Representation and the Hippocampal Network” (talk)
    Tanaka KZ
    OIST Lunch Seminar, Sep 28 2022
  16. “Dynamic Nature of Memory Representation and the Hippocampal Network” (talk)
    Tanaka KZ
    A Recipe for Scientific Synergy, OIST-Osaka University Seminar Series, Oct 19 2022
  17. “The effects of hibernation-like state on memory” (poster)
    Lin YJ, Takahashi A, Humbel B, Sakurai T, Tanaka KZ
    Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting at San Diego, Nov 12-16 2022
  18. “Hibernation-like state presents a new approach to understanding and treating temporal lobe epilepsy” (poster)
    Mokhothu TM, Hirano A, Sakurai T, Tanaka KZ
    Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting at San Diego, Nov 12-16 2022
  19. “Contextual representation outside of ‘place fields’” (talk)
    Tanaka KZ
    The 100th Anniversary Annual Meeting of The Physiological Society of Japan, Mar 16 2023

5. Intellectual Property Rights and Other Specific Achievements

 

6. Meetings and Events

6.1 Memory Research Seminar 2022

  • Date: June 29 2022
  • Venue: OIST B250 seminar room
  • Speakers: 
    1) Dr. Dan Ohtan Wang from RIKEN BDR
    2) Dr. Kei Igarashi from UC Irvine
    3) Dr. Tatsuya Manabe from Nagoya City University
    4) Dr. Charlotte Boccarra from the University of Oslo

7. Community Services

7.1 Fundraising event at OIST Tokyo Office, April 2022

7.2 Keio University Summer Camp (July 2022)

7.3 Researcher Appreciation Month (RAM), 2022
Viviane Saito (Postdoctoral Scholar) (Lab tour, Tea time with STG associates, Invited seminars by external speakers, Trivia Night)

7.4 OIST Researcher Community (ORC)
Viviane Saito (Postdoctoral Scholar) (Advisory Board)

7.5 OIST Neuroscience Club
Miyu Nambu (Ph.D. student), Yuma Kajihara (Ph.D. student), Kaz Tanaka (Assistant Professor)

7.6 OIST Gender, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (GEDI)
Lorena Andreoli (Ph.D. student), Kaz Tanaka (Assistant Professor)